Decision makers

Support the Reauthorization of Family Violence Prevention and Services Act

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), a vital source of funding for programs that provides aid to domestic abuse survivors. However it expired in 2008 and is in desperate need of reauthorization.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed the the Reauthorization of Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. Now we need President Obama to sign it into law before the lame duck session is over.

What is the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)?

FVPSA is a federal grant program that funds domestic violence shelters and supports services such as counseling, crisis hotlines, basic needs and legal advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse.

FVPSA was first passed in 1984 as part of the Child Abuse Amendment and was included in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994 and approved again in 2003 as part of the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act.

What will reauthorizing FVPSA in 2010 do?

If FVPSA is reauthorized in 2010, it will approve $250 million per year to shelters and other outreach organizations that aid survivors of domestic violence. It will also provide new programs to help prevent children in abusive homes from continuing the cycle of violence in adulthood and fund intervention, employment training for survivors of domestic violence, school-based prevention projects, and parenting skills development. It will also update the National Domestic Violence Hotline to keep up with changing technology.

Why do we need the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)?

If FVPSA isn't doesn't reauthorized, then over 2,000 shelters in the U.S. and millions of women and children could very be left without funding or assistance. According to the National Organization of Women (NOW), "with the economic recession contributing to mounting frustration and abusive behavior, support of these shelters and services is more important than ever."

Please call and write President Obama and tell him to sign Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (H.R. 4116) before the lame duck session is over.

I am writing to urge you to sign the Reauthorization of Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, to help support victims of domestic violence.

Statistics show that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. It is estimated that 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) offers a vital source of funding for programs that provide aid to domestic abuse survivors; however, it expired in 2008 and is in desperate need of reauthorization.

FVPSA is a federal grant program that funds domestic violence shelters and supports services such as counseling, crisis hotlines, basic needs, and legal advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse.

FVPSA was first passed in 1984 as part of the Child Abuse Amendment and was included in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994, and was approved again in 2003 as part of the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act.

If FVPSA is reauthorized in 2010, it will approve $250 million per year to shelters and other outreach organizations that aid survivors of domestic violence. It will also provide new programs to help prevent children in abusive homes from continuing the cycle of violence in adulthood and fund intervention, employment training for survivors of domestic violence, school-based prevention projects, and parenting skills development. It will also update the National Domestic Violence Hotline to keep up with changing technology.

If Congress doesn't reauthorize FVPSA, over 2,000 shelters in the U.S. and millions of women and children could be left without funding or assistance. According to the National Organization of Women (NOW), "with the economic recession contributing to mounting frustration and abusive behavior, support of these shelters and services is more important than ever."

Please sign the Reauthorization of Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, in order to protect all battered women and their children from domestic violence.